Warren Graham
Warren Daniel Graham (born November 20, 1996) is a student at Blackwell Academy and one of the main supporting characters in Life is Strange. He is good friends with Max Caulfield and has a crush on her. Warren reappears in Before the Storm, the prequel to the events of Life is Strange (although he is not seen other than being on a class photo). : For Warren's image gallery, click here. For Warren's flash drive, click here. Personality Warren is a stereotypical science nerd who "knows how to be invisible" and loves old and obscure movies and anime. He has a kind and sensitive nature and is highly interested in Max. He always tries to get closer to her but, depending on Max's reactions to his offers and advances, he may end up having to deal with rejection constantly. He's also very shy and insecure with girls and struggles to express and deal with his feelings, so he tries to hide that underneath humor and bad jokes. He is a good friend, as he's always friendly and protective over Max. Although normally he's the one who would get beaten up, he finds the courage to defend Max against Nathan Prescott. Biography The following is what Max wrote about Warren in her journal: "I knew if I gave Warren my phone he would blow it up for "science". He wants his flash drive back after letting me borrow it for less than a week. He told me to watch everything because he has tons of cool TV shows and films on there. Thank Gawd it wasn't porn. He loves science but he really understands art and appreciates great photography. Even though he says he loves my pictures, I can't tell if he's just being nice. Warren is a geek but he definitely lets you know where he stands, I don't think he would ever lie to me. It feels good to have at least one strong ally the same age here... And he makes me smile." Appearance Warren has an average build, choppy brown hair and matching hue eyes. He always dresses casually, wears jeans, sometimes a sweatshirt and t-shirts connected with geek culture throughout the game. After being hit by Nathan, he has a bruise around his left eye. Background Warren was born and probably grew up in Arcadia Bay. At 16 years old, he is probably the youngest student at Blackwell Academy. He stands out with excellent scientific knowledge as shown by his GPA of 4.0; therefore, he is considered an exemplary and gifted student by Principal Wells. It can be assumed that he has advanced a few grades due to his academic abilities. Episode One - "Chrysalis" In this first episode, one of Max's first objectives is to return Warren's flash drive. After rescuing it from Dana's room, the two girls talk about how Warren blatantly likes Max. It seems that Max is aware of his advances. Max does, however, suggest that Brooke Scott would be perfect for him due to her similar interests in science. Warren approaches Max with a hug, which she denies as she hands him back his flash drive. The humorous moment ends and the two talk about the various films on the USB, but they are interrupted by Nathan Prescott, and an argument breaks out. Warren intervenes to protect Max, but Nathan headbutts him to the ground. As Max escapes in Chloe Price's truck, Warren distracts Nathan, getting beat up in the process. He later sends Max a text with a photo of him with a black eye saying she owes him. At the end of the episode, Warren can be seen in the Science Lab with a laptop during the snowstorm. Episode Two - "Out of Time" At the beginning of the episode, Warren makes a small appearance outside the Blackwell dorms before Max moves from her room. He can be seen if Max walks over to the leftmost window of her room as soon as she gets out of bed and looks out towards the corner of the campus. He peeks around the corner, possibly looking to see if she is up and awake. When Max talks to Alyssa Anderson on the dormitory floor, she tells her that Warren mentioned that she borrowed his flash drive and warns her to be careful of Brooke, who she thinks Max may make jealous. Alyssa also wishes her "good luck" with Warren. Warren interrupts Max as she leaves the campus for the Two Whales Diner to meet Chloe, still pumped from his show of aggression and labeling himself a "White Knight". They have a conversation about Chloe and Nathan, and Warren asks how she knows Chloe and why Nathan is after her. He then asks her to go on a date and see a Planet of the Apes movie marathon at a drive-in. Max can choose to accept or decline. Accept= Accept If Max accepts Warren's invitation Warren thinks it was easier than he thought and will text her later about it. He will also mention that he will text Brooke that he's going to the movies with Max instead of her. |-|Decline= Decline If Max declines Warren's invitation, obviously hurt, he will say, "Fine. Be a damned dirty human. I'll go Ape myself." He will also mention that he wants to ask Brooke to go to the drive-in with him instead. Later that day, Warren sends Max a text asking her to meet him at the Science Lab. Max can go to the Science Lab and help him with his chemistry experiment. If Max helps him correctly, she can boost Warren's grade later in the week. LiS1-Exp_Sodium-02.png|Sodium: no visible reaction LiS1-Exp_Potassium-01.png|Potassium: plume of white smoke LiS1-Exp_Potassium-Loads-01.png|"Shitloads" of potassium: large reaction blows Warren back from his desk LiS1-Exp_PotassLoads-Freecam-02.png|"Shitloads" of potassium LiS1-Exp_Chlorine-BEST-01.png|Chlorine (best answer) - plume of purple smoke LiS1-Exp_Chlorine-BEST-02.png|Helping Warren presents a photo opportunity Right before Mr. Jefferson's class begins, Warren walks up to Max to talk to her about Kate Marsh who ran past him on her way out of the building. When Zachary Riggins informs Jefferson's class that "crazy shit" is happening at the girls' dormitory, Warren and the rest of the class head for the dorm grounds. Warren is among the many students watching Kate's attempted or successful suicide. When Max manages to stop time, Warren can be seen in the crowd comforting Alyssa. At the end of the episode, Max and Warren are seen together discussing the day's events. They are both shocked when they see the eclipse. Warren mentions that he would know if any eclipse was predicted to occur, and this eclipse seems to defy all conventional logic. When Warren sees that Max is feeling cold from the abrupt change in temperature due to the eclipse, he moves closer to Max to keep her warm. Episode Three - "Chaos Theory" When Chloe and Max enter Blackwell at night to search for clues in the Principal Wells' office, Max calls Warren and asks him for instructions on how to build a pipe bomb. Depending on whether Max chose to accept his invitation to "Go Ape" or not, they have a short conversation based on the answer. Warren then texts her the materials she needs to build the pipe bomb. Max uses the pipe bomb to blow open the door into Principal Wells's office. Rewinding to remove the damage, Max unlocks the office door. After letting Chloe enter the office, Max discards all the materials for the pipe bomb in a waste bin inside the office. Max also texts Warren, jokingly saying that she only wanted to test his scientific knowledge and expertise regarding the pipe bomb. Episode Four - "Dark Room" Warren takes a more prominent role in this episode. After Max collects evidence from Nathan's room in the male section of the Prescott Dormitory, Nathan confronts her and Chloe at the exit. Max and Chloe are pushed around by Nathan, and Warren appears to intervene. He headbutts Nathan to the floor after the fight breaks out between them, which terrifies Max. When Nathan tries to counter by pulling a gun from his pocket, Warren kicks the gun out of his hand and starts beating up Nathan. Warren can carry on beating up Nathan, depending on whether Max stops him or not. If Max intervenes= If Max intervenes If Max intervenes, she breaks up the fight and Warren leaves Nathan alone. He gets up, collects his gun and warns that his father is on his way to the dormitory, and that they won't get away with treating him poorly. He runs back into his dorm room slightly injured. This results in his jacket being present later in the Dark Room. |-|If Max doesn't intervene= If Max doesn't intervene Warren violently beats Nathan up, kicking him in the stomach. Chloe collects the fallen gun and the girls leave the dorm with Warren as Nathan writhes on the ground in pain. Afterwards he can be heard saying things like "Everybody hates me... Everybody". He is clearly too injured to get up. This results in his jacket not being in the Dark Room later in the episode. After his fight with Nathan, they will talk about it outside the dormitory. Max will thank Warren for his intervention, and Chloe will tell him that he's awesome for beating Nathan up. But he doesn't know how to think about his actions, as he thinks it might make him as bad as Nathan. Max reassures him that he isn't anything like Nathan, and Warren will suggest accompanying Chloe and Max on their investigations or to call the police, but his offers get rejected by Chloe who tells him that it's something that she and Max must do alone. Instead, Max asks him to find out more about Nathan's father Sean Prescott and promises to call him later. Before he heads back to his room, he states how "alpha" he feels now and Max agrees with him. When he leaves, Chloe comments to Max on how he's totally in love with her, which Max responds with "I know". Warren will later text Max regarding the incident and state his wish to see her at the party, so they can celebrate. If Max left behind a message on his room slate earlier, he will also thank Max for that and state that he will never erase it. Chloe believes Nathan is responsible for the death of Rachel Amber and heads to the "End of the World Party" with Max. The two encounter Warren outside who claims he's glad that they decided to attend the party with him, but Warren gets rejected on this score. He takes a photo of himself with Max on her instant camera and keeps this photo. Noticing that Warren still seems a little wrecked regarding what happened in the boys' dormitory earlier, Max asks him how he feels. When asked about Nathan, he tells them that he hasn't seen Nathan as he was holed up in his room. Warren also explains that he's at the party because he wants to feel like a normal student after this week's ultraviolence. He never hit anybody before, and usually, he was the one who would get beat up. Warren is drunk despite only having half a beer; it is possible his drink was spiked to prevent him from aiding Chloe and Max from that point onward. |At Warren's insistence, Max takes a picture with Warren "for prosperity." Before the two girls enter the party, she asks him to text her immediately if he sees Nathan and to be aware of him. Warren jokes he knows how to be invisible, and Max replies that he's not to her. Episode Five - "Polarized" Warren is seen in the Two Whales Diner after he, Joyce Price, and Frank Bowers (if he did not die in Episode 4) have barricaded themselves inside it. Warren has gathered all the medical supplies he can find. Max finally talks to Warren about her powers and asks him for the picture he took outside the End of the World party so that she can go back in time and save Chloe. Depending on the level of interest Max has shown in Warren throughout the week, she will have the option to kiss Warren as well as the option to hug or just leave him behind without showing him any affection. Hug= Hug If Max chooses to hug Warren, they share a long hug and Warren embraces her very closely. Warren will tell her to better leave before he isn't able to let her go anymore, and Max calls him one of her heroes. |-|Leave= Leave If Max chooses not to show Warren any affection, she only tells him to watch out for Joyce (and Frank), which leaves Warren very disappointed. |-|Kiss= Kiss If Max chooses to kiss Warren "for luck", they share a short kiss. Warren will tell her that he always wanted to say something to her, but Max cuts him off and tells him she knows. He also appears in the maze area of Max's nightmare, searching for Max, as well as in the nightmare versions of the Dark Room and the Two Whales Diner. If Max later chooses to sacrifice Arcadia Bay, the whole town is reduced to rubble. Three SMS messages reveal Max tried to send warning messages about the tornado to Warren with no response from him, which hints he might have been killed in the storm or is hiding somewhere underground where there is no mobile phone reception. As Chloe and Max drive past the destroyed diner, a body can be seen covered in a blanket next to a blue overturned SUV which resembles Warren's car (although it is unclear if the dead body is Warren or not). If Max chooses to sacrifice Chloe to save Arcadia Bay, Warren is shown to be alive and is one of the attendees at Chloe's funeral, with Max standing next to him. Alternative Timeline In the alternative timeline, Warren is clearly in a relationship with Stella Hill. We do not know how they ended up together, although it makes some sense considering their shared interest in academics. Relationships Friends * Max Caulfield - Warren and Max continue to be close friends, regardless of Max's choices. Their shared interests and positions as nerds in the Blackwell social society give them the basis for a strong friendship. It is sometimes strained when Warren presses with his romantic interest in Max, though she can choose whether or not to support them (such as by accepting his invitation to go to the movies). (See here for more information on their relationship.) * Brooke Scott - Although Brooke is interested in Warren romantically, the two have a friendship in the meantime. Warren sees her as the first person to talk to after Max as he will tell her about the drive-in (either asking her or bragging that Max agreed). * Luke Parker - When Luke hears that Warren beat up Nathan, he is satisfied and cheers him as well. * Chloe Price - Although Warren and Chloe don't seem to have met, Chloe texts him regarding Max and the two seem to get on well. Chloe also admires the fact that Warren headbutted Nathan and highly praises him for that. * Kate Marsh - Kate and Warren are friendly with each other and talk with each other from time to time. He shows genuine concern for her situation as it worsens. When Kate leaves the school building after her talk with Jefferson in Episode 2, Warren is very concerned about her and heads to Jefferson's class to talk to Max about it. Kate later talks very positively about Warren to Max calling him a "cutie-pie" and suggests to take him with her to their tea-shop tour of Portland after her suicide attempt. She also supports Max's date with Warren if she accepted his invitation to the drive-in. * Alyssa Anderson - Warren and Alyssa share an affection for science fiction and seem to be talking a lot about films, but also about Max (for example he told her that Max borrowed his flash-drive and that she also likes science fiction). Since Max and Warren regularly spend some time together, Max will become the target of Brooke's jealousy. Warren also comforts Alyssa when Kate is about to jump from the dormitory roof. A scribble on a table in the science lab that reads "Warren+Alyssa 2013" indicates that one or both of them have been interested in each other. Family * Little is known about Warren's family. On his "Student Information Sheet", it is written that he was born in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. He appears to have two parents/guardians as two signatures appear in this field. They seem to be very doting individuals regarding his academics as he hints that even an A- grade would be unsatisfactory to them. The house number of the family home is 32, but the street name is illegible apart from appearing to be a compound that begins with the letter "S".The street name on Warren's "Student Information Sheet" does not seem to reflect any of the existing street names in the town of Garibaldi, Oregon, upon which Arcadia Bay is based. Enemies * Nathan Prescott - Due to Nathan's antagonism against Max, and the reprehensible nature of Nathan's activities, Warren considers him an enemy. Warren puts himself between Nathan and Max in the parking lot, getting a black eye as a result. Later on, when Nathan is about to attack Max in the male dormitory, Warren again puts himself between them. Warren head-butts Nathan to the floor, causing Nathan to pull out a gun and levy a death threat against Warren, Max, and Chloe. Warren kicks the gun out of Nathan's hand, and (if Max chooses not to intervene) proceeds to severely beat Nathan with his fists. Romantic * Max Caulfield - Warren has an affection for Max and on occasion presses his romantic interest on her. Warren will fight Nathan to keep Nathan away from hurting Max at the Blackwell parking lot and later in the dormitory area. Max gets to choose whether to encourage these, such as by accepting Warren's invitation to the movies, helping Warren with his science practical and grade, choosing not to kiss Chloe and to write the copper tellurium relationship on Warren's room slate. Warren will regard Max as an angel and a superhero if Max succeeds in saving Kate, or will provide support by telling Max that she was the only person there for Kate if Max fails in saving Kate. Warren will keep Max warm when he sees Max is uncomfortable with the sudden change in temperature from the eclipse. When Max asks him to give her the photograph of the night at the Vortex Club, before focusing on the photo, she has the option to leave, hug or kiss Warren. If she decides to kiss him, Warren tells Max he's always wanted to tell her something, but Max cuts him off and tells him she knows. * Brooke Scott (Determinant) - They seem to often hang out together and share the same affection for science. If Max rejects Warren's invitation to go to the movies, Warren asks Brooke instead. If Max accepts Warren's invitation, Brooke will appear noticeably jealous of Max. * Stella Hill - In the Alternative Timeline, Stella and Warren appear to be in a relationship. Animal Symbolism The animal connected to Warren the most is the cat since there are several references to the theory of Schrödinger's cat in his text messages or on his shirt in Episode 2. The cat is known for being a great hunter using not just force, but a refined sense of timing in the moment of the attack. Those who have the cat as a spirit animal may be able to tackle issues with patience, confidence, observation and a good sense of timing in their actions. This aspect of the cat totem refers to Warren always being there in the right moment to protect Max from Nathan or to comfort her (for example, after Kate's suicide attempt), but also to him waiting for the right time to confess his feelings for Max but never finding the right time. The cat totem symbolizes exploring areas in your life or aspects of yourself that you do not know well yet. It represents the balance between seeming opposites, such as inner and outer, action and rest, light and dark. It’s strongly symbolic of the connection with what usually hides in darkness or the unknown. This aspect of the cat totem refers to the contrast between Warren's good-natured and insecure character and his dark and violent offensive side that's hidden inside him but is shown when he's beating up Nathan violently and mercilessly, a side which Warren himself didn't know until then. The cat also represents courage and agility; the cat is always able to get back on its feet, as Warren does shortly after being beaten up by Nathan himself. The cat totem furthermore is a source of inspiration to renew your perspective and have the courage to act or integrate it into your life. The cat spirit symbolizes the need to explore new ways to look at things. This aspect refers to his willingness to accept non-scientific explanations for what's happening at Arcadia Bay and to believe in Max's rewind ability despite his rationality and affection for science.http://www.spiritanimal.info/cat-spirit-animal/ Memorable Quotes Inconsistencies * Warren's age is 16, according to the date of birth on his Student Information Sheet in the principal's office, but the high school is specifically for seniors. There is the possibility that he has advanced a few grades due to his academic abilities. Some other students appear to have been attending Blackwell for a longer period than one year. * It also seems contradictory that Max writes in her journal that Warren is "her age" since they are approximately one year and two months apart by age. It is possible that Max didn't know Warren's age at the time she wrote that in her diary. * According to this post, DONTNOD Entertainment confirmed via email that Warren's date of birth is November 20, 1996 (age 16 in 2013) which is the same date displayed on his Student Information Sheet. Character Concept and Design According to Artistic Director Michel Koch, Warren's character is inspired by from ''who "has this kind of awkwardness in him and is always saying the wrong things, but he's a good guy". First Love and Awkwardness: Inside the Mind of ‘Life Is Strange’ Co-Director Michel Koch (August 4, 2015) In the same interview, he revealed the intention behind the scene of Warren beating up Nathan: Trivia * Warren can be seen outside of Max's window in episode 2, possibly checking for any signs of Max being awake so he knows to wait for her out front. His perspective probably makes it difficult to see inside Max's room. * Warren's car is the same car model as shown in ''Before the Storm in which Chloe's father William died in. * Warren's zodiac sign is Scorpio. * Warren's room in the Boys' Dormitory is Room 109. * His student email address is: WarrenG@BlackwellAcademy.ed * Warren's science homework folder is called "Weird Science - Homework", a reference to the film . * Adding to his nerdy status, Warren plays . In Episode 3, over the phone, Max advises him to "bubble-hearth", a term which refers to a paladin shielding themselves before using their Hearthstone to teleport to safety. Max also texts him back with "Kek", meaning "Lol" in Orcish. * Warren's flash drive has pirated films and television shows. These include Doctor Who, The X-Files, Full Metal Alchemist, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Akira, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Cannibal Holocaust, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens, and NEKRomantik. *Warren is a big fan of the British time travel series , as he's constantly referring to it in his text messages and emails to Max. His email account icon is a picture of the , the time machine in Doctor Who. He's also referring to himself as "The Doctor", its protagonist. * The license plate on Warren's car is "THXFLS", which is a reference to , one of his favorite series. * In Episode 5 while hiding from Warren in the maze he says, "Max... Where are you? Max, come out to play... Come out to play!" This is a reference to the 1979 movie The Warriors, where Luther (leader of a rival gang) says this famous line to the Warriors--"Warriors, come out to play!" * If the player chooses "No fucking way will I watch that" dialogue when Warren starts to talk about Cannibal Holocaust during the conversation at the parking lot in Episode 1, Warren will say he laughed his ass off. Max then replies to him by saying "So you're sensitive" and he replies to it with, "Ouch... That sounds awful the way you say it." If the player chooses the "How so?" option after this, Warren will say, "Sensitive usually means won't be having sex with you." Max laughs this comment off by saying, "Oh, God. You need a sensitive woman to kick your ass." * The "line" Warren tries to use on Max in the parking lot; "Art is Science, Science is Art" is a motto or a quote by * There are unused audio files for when Max enters the boys' dormitory in Episode 4 to look for Nathan's room. The majority of these are labeled "WarrenToilet" in the game's text files and appear as though they may be range-enabled dialogue that can be heard when Max nears the area. These particular files sound muffled and distant as though they are coming from the other side of a closed door. Warren appears to be playing a video game: "Come on, baby..." . . . "Gimme those points, freaky octopus..." . . . "One more match and you’re mine..." . . . "Level up, bitch!" * Linked to these files is an audio file named "ToiletDoor_Look" where Max makes a mental comment about what she is hearing: "When you gotta play, you gotta play... Remind me not to use that guy's phone." These audio files do make it appear as though Max has walked inside the boys' toilets. What is interesting is that, in the game itself, Max cannot interact with the door to the boys' toilets (i.e. there is no "look" or "open"), so she is unable to go inside. Perhaps DONTNOD decided that having Max go into the boys' toilets was rather pointless, far too nosy of her, and delayed the objective to find and explore Nathan's room. * There is another audio file that appears to be a cue for when Max would have looked at the heavily graffitied door to the boys' toilets: "Even if my bladder was on fire, I would never enter that door. Ever." Unlike the files mentioned above, no subtitle text file exists for this audio in the game files. Perhaps the decision to leave this out of the text files was made after it was decided that Max would not enter the boys' toilets after all. * Another unused file of note is a surprised "Max?" that Warren may have been planned to say upon seeing Max inside the boys' dormitory. References de:Warren Graham es:Warren Graham fr:Warren Graham pl:Warren Graham pt-br:Warren Graham ru:Уоррен Грэхем Category:Characters Category:Major Characters (Season 1) Category:Blackwell Academy Students Category:Male Characters Category:Characters (Season 1) Category:Episode 1: Chrysalis Characters Category:Episode 2: Out of Time Characters Category:Episode 3: Chaos Theory Characters Category:Episode 4: Dark Room Characters Category:Episode 5: Polarized Characters Category:Alternative Timeline Characters Category:Male Characters (Season 1) Category:Major Characters Category:Season 1